Oven cleaner

ABSTRACT

Burnt food and grease is removed from cooking surfaces by applying an oven cleaning composition comprising from 1.0 to 20 parts alkali metal hydroxide, from 0.4 to 5.0 parts of sodium gluconate, potassium gluconate or glyconic acid, from 0.8 to 10.0 parts of polyethoxylated higher fatty alkanolamides, from 0.8 to 10.0 parts of higher fatty acid sulfonates, from 0.6 to 7.5 parts alkyl benzene sulfonic acid salts, from 0.4 to 5.0 parts disodium N-fatty alkyl B-iminodiproprionate, and from 96.0 to 42.5 parts water; and removing the softened food and grease from the cooking surfaces. The composition can be applied to the cooking surfaces with a brush or from an aerosol spray can containing a halogenated hydrocarbon propellant liquid.

United States Patent Crotty et al.

[451 Feb. 22, 1972 [54] OVEN CLEANER [72] Inventors: Homer E. Crotty; Michel T. Zalzal, both [21] App1.No.: 713,382

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 656,579 1 1/ 1966 Republic of South Africa OTHER PUBLICATIONS Soap and Chemical Specialties, July, 1962; pp. l4- l5 Downey et al. Soap and Chemical Specialties, October, 1959, pp. 45-47; 58, 173

Republic of South Africa Patent Journal Vol. 6 (Oct.- Dec.); Nov. 23, 1966, p. 29

McCutcheon; Detergents and Emulsifiers, 1963, p. 140 McCutcheon; Detergents and Emulsifiers," 1967, p. 80

Primary ExaminerLeon D. Rosdol Assistant Examiner-Arnold I. Rody Attorneyl(enneth E. Prince [5 7] ABSTRACT Burnt food and grease is removed from cooking surfaces by applying an oven cleaning composition comprising from 1.0 to 20 parts alkali metal hydroxide, from 0.4 to 5.0 parts of sodium gluconate, potassium gluconate or glyconic acid, from 0.8 to 10.0 parts of polyethoxylated higher fatty alkanolamides, from 0.8 to 10.0 parts of higher fatty acid sulfonates, from 0.6 to 7.5 parts alkyl benzene sulfonic acid salts, from 0.4 to 5.0 parts disodium N-fatty alkyl B-iminodiproprionate, and from 96.0 to 42.5 parts water; and removing the softened food and grease from the cooking surfaces. The composition can be applied to the cooking surfaces with a brush or from an aerosol spray can containing a halogenated hydrocarbon propellant liquid.

2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTEOFEB22 I972 3.6421210 HOMER E. CROTTY MICHEL T. ZALZAL INVENTORS A ORNE'Y OVEN CLEANER This invention relates to a composition for cleaning burnt food and grease from cooking surfaces such as ovens, deep fryers, grills, and hoods; to methods for cleaning soiled cooking surfaces with this improved oven cleaner composition; and to an aerosol spray package containing this composition. The term oven cleaner is used to denote utility for cleaning all forms of institutional cooking surfaces including those listed above.

In summary, the composition of this invention for cleaning burnt food and grease from cooking surfaces comprises from 1.0 to 20.0 parts by weight ofa member selected from a group consisting of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and mixtures thereof; from 0.4 to 5.0 parts ofa member selected from the group consisting of glyconic acid, sodium gluconate and potassium gluconate, from 0.8 to 10.0 parts by weight of condensates of fatty lower alkanolamides having from eight to 18 carbons in the fatty acyl group with from five to 50 ethylene oxide groups per molecule of alkanolamide; from 0.8 to 10.0 parts by weight of a member selected from the group consisting of fatty acid sulfonates having from eight to 18 carbons, sodium or potassium salts thereof, and mixtures thereof; from 0.6 to 7.5 parts by weight of a member selected from the group consisting of alkyl benzene sulfonic acids having from eight to 18 carbons in the alkyl group, sodium or potassium salts thereof, and mixtures thereof; from 0.6 to 5.0 parts by weight of a disodium N-fatty alkyl B-iminodi-proprionate having from eight to 18 carbons in the alkyl group; and from 96.0 to 42.5 parts by weight ofwater.

In summary, the process of this invention is a method for cleaning burnt foods and grease from cooking surfaces comprising applying the above composition to the cooking surfaces, and removing the softened burnt food and grease from the surfaces by wiping or rinsing them with water, for example. The oven cleaning package of this invention comprises an aerosol spray can containing a halogenated propellant hydrocarbon liquid and the above oven cleaning composition.

Many products have been previously developed for removing burnt food and grease from cooking utensils and other cooking surfaces such as ovens, deep fryers, grills, and hoods both in the home and in the institutional field. Most of these oven cleaners require hand rubbing or are not adequately effective.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved oven cleaner which can be easily applied to surfaces fouled with burnt food and greases. It is another object of this invention to provide an oven cleaner which will soften foods and greases so they can be removed merely by wiping or rinsing with water. It is still another object of this invention to provide an oven cleaner which does not require hand rubbing or scraping to remove food residues and greases from cooking areas. It is a further object of this invention to provide a method for effectively removing burnt food residues and greases from cooking surfaces without the need of hand rubbing or scraping. It is still another object of this invention to provide an aerosol spray package containing a highly effective oven cleaning composition.

FIG. I is a side view in cross section of an aerosol spray package (in the closed position) for the oven cleaning composition of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the aerosol spray package in FIG. 1 showing the elements in the spraying position.

All concentrations are herein given as parts by weight or weight percents unless otherwise specified.

The components in the composition of this invention and their concentrations are shown in Table A.

Glyconic acid or salt 0.4-5.0 0.5-1.5 Ethoxylated alkanolamide 0.8l0.0 l.03.0 Fatty acid sulfonate 0,840.0 1.0-30 Alkyl benzene sulfonate 0.6l0.0 0.8-2.4 Disodium N-fatty alkyl B-iminodiproprionate 0.4-5.0 0.5-1.5 Water 96.0-42.5 94.2-82.6

Suitable alkali metal hydroxides include potassium and sodium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide being preferred. Up to percent of the alkali metal hydroxide can be replaced with sodium or potassium carbonate although alkali metal hydroxides are preferably used as the caustic material.

Ethoxylated alkanolamides which can be used in the composition of this invention include condensates of higher fatty alkanolamides having from eight to 18 carbons in the fatty amide group with from five to 60 ethylene oxide groups per molecule of alkanolamide. The alkanol group is a lower alkanol group, usually ethanol. Preferably, the alkanolamides are condensed with five to 60 ethylene oxide groups per molecule of alkanolamide. The preferred alkanolamide is the polyethoxylated coconut fatty alkanolamide although, for example, polyethoxylated lauric alkanolamide can also be used.

Fatty acid sulfonates which can be used in the composition include those fatty acids sulfonic acids having from eight to 18 carbons, sodium or potassium salts thereof, and mixtures thereof. The preferred fatty acid sulfonate is sodium oleic acid sulfonate. The alkyl benzene sulfonates which can be used in this composition have from eight to 18 carbons in the alkyl group. The preferred alkyl benzene sulfonates include both linear dodecyl and tetrapropylene benzene sulfonic acids, sodium or potassium salts thereof, and mixtures thereof. The preferred alkyl benzene sulfonate is the linear sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate.

The disodium N-fatty alkyl B-iminodiproprionate component in this composition includes those compounds having from eight to 18 carbons in the fatty alkyl group. The preferred iminodiproprionate is the N-lauryl B- iminodiproprionate. Other compounds of this type which are suitable are the disodium salts having, as the fatty alkyl group, coconut and tallow fatty acids. Alternatively, the acid form of these compounds can be used although the disodium salt is preferred.

The preferred composition of this invention is shown in Table B.

TABLE B Weight Percent The composition of this invention is applied to the cooking surfaces fouled with burnt food and grease by brushing, spraying or the like. The composition is left on the fouled surface until the burnt food and grease layers soften, usually from about 1 to 15 minutes, and the softened burnt food and grease is then removed by wiping or rinsing with water. Preferably, a final water rinse is applied to the cleaned surfaces in any event.

Referring to FIG. 1 which illustrates a typical aerosol spray package suitable containing and applying the oven cleaner composition of this invention, the dispenser comprises a closed container 1 in which is contained a top vapor phase 2 comprising a vaporized propellant, a liquid propellant phase 3 comprising liquefied propellant floating on top of a bottom liquid aqueous phase 4. The container 1 can be made of glass,

plastic-coated glass, plastic materials, aluminum, tin-plated steel, and stainless steel. Corrosion inhibitors, e.g., morpholine, can be included in the liquid aqueous phase to inhibit corrosion of metal containers. The container 1 is provided with a cup member 5 for holding a valve member 6 in the top of the container for dispensing the contents of the container. The valve member 6 comprises a hollow stem 7 with the valve 8 normally seated against gasket surface 9 by means of spring 10 (in FIG. 1 the valve is shown in closed or nondispensing position). Surrounding the valve is a housing 11 with a tailpiece 12, with opening or orifice l3. Attached to the tailpiece 12 is dip tube 14 extending into the liquid aqueous phase. The housing 11 also contains an opening or orifice 15 for the separate entry of vapor from the top vapor phase 2. On the valve stem 7 is mounted an actuator or button 16 containing a passageway in communication with the hollow stem 7 and containing an orifice 17. When the valve member is actuated by pressing down the button 16, as shown in FIG. 2, the valve 8 is unseated and the pressure of the propellant vapor extrudes the liquid aqueous phase up the dip tube 14 and through the tailpiece orifice 13 into the chamber 19 formed by housing 11. Also, at the same time vapor from the top vapor phase 2 enters the chamber through the vapor tap opening 15 and the vapor and liquid aqueous phase are intermixed in the chamber. This mixture enters the valve stem 7 through stem orifice l8 (communicating with the hollow stem passageway) and is discharged from the chamber formed by the hollow valve stem out through the button orifice 17 as a spray. Additional mixing occurs in the chamber formed by the hollow valve stem. Further details of suitable dispensers are disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,137,416, for example, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The oven cleaning package of this invention comprises an aerosol spray can such as is shown in the figures containing the oven cleaning composition of this invention and a sufficient quantity of a hydrocarbon or halogenated hydrocarbon propellant liquid to effect complete exhaustion of the liquid content in the container. Halogenated propellants are preferred because of their nonflammibility. The propellant liquids suitable for use as a propellant in the aerosol spray container are those conventionally used in spray applications. The propellant should have a vapor pressure of at least p.s.i.g. at 70 F. and be nonflammable. Suitable halogenated propellants include trichloromonofluoromethane, dichlorodifluoromethane, dichloromonofluoromethane, monofluoromethane, monochlorodifluoromethane,

dichloromethane, 1,2-dichloro-l, l, l, l-tetrachloroethane, 1,1-dichloro-1 ,2, 2,2-tetrafluoroethane, l-chloro-1,1- difluoroethane, 1,1-difluoroethane and chloroethene. The preferred halogenated propellant hydrocarbon liquid is Freon 1 l." Preferably the package contains at least 0.05 parts propellant per part by weight of the oven cleaning composi- I tion.

This invention is further illustrated by the following specific but nonlimiting example.

EXAMPLE Weight Percent Sodium hydroxide Sodium gluconate Ethoxylated coconut fatty ulkanolumide" Sodium oleic acid sulfonate Sodium dodecylbenzcne sulfonute Disodiurn N-lauryl B-iminodiprop-prionate Water "Amidox C-5 "Deriphate Aerosol spray packages containing 17.1 oz. of this cleaning composition and 1.9 oz. of Freon l 1 (the propellant) were compared with the three most popular commercial cleaners. The oven cleaner of this composition, applied from the aerosol spray package, was found to be superior in removing burnt food and grease of the type typically found in home ovens.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the invention as hereinabove set forth can be made without departing from the essence and scope thereof, and only such limitations should be applied as are indicated in the claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A composition for removing burnt food and grease from surfaces, said composition consisting essentially of about 4 weight percent sodium hydroxide, about 1 weight percent sodium gluconate, about 2 weight percent coconut fatty alkanolamide ethoxylated with about five ethylene oxide groups per molecule of alkanolamide, about 2 weight percent sodium oleic acid sulfonate, about 1.5 weight percent sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, about 1 part by weight disodium N- lauryl B-iminodipropionate, and about 88.5 weight percent water.

2. A method for cleaning surfaces fouled with burnt food and grease which comprises applying the composition of claim 1 to the fouled surfaces to soften the food and grease, and removing the softened food and grease from the surfaces. 

2. A method for cleaning surfaces fouled with burnt food and grease which comprises applying the composition of claim 1 to the fouled surfaces to soften the food and grease, and removing the softened food and grease from the surfaces. 